live from london. this is bbc news. jewish worshippers converge at the western wall for the passover blessing injerusalem amid simmering tensions. a grief—filled prayer hall as the funeral takes place for two british—israeli sisters killed in a shooting in the occupied west bank. international delegations arrive in yemen as efforts to end eight years of war get under way in sana'a. pope francis calls on the international community to help end conflicts in ukraine, syria and elsewhere, in his easter blessing at the vatican.

jewish worshippers have been gathering at the western wall for passover prayers. the event draws tens of thousands of worshippers, with crowds spilling out from the wall�*s plaza into the surrounding areas. there is a heavy security presence today and officials are concerned there could be violence. just a short distance away hundreds of palestinians have barricaded themselves inside al—aqsa mosque injerusalem. these are the latest images from the mosque. police said they were bracing for violence, but so far it has been calm. jordan, which manages the religious complex, has warned of catastrophic consequences if police storm the mosque. the funeral of two british—israeli sisters killed in a shooting in the occupied west bank has begun. family and friends of maia and rina dee have gathered

in the kfat etzion settlement for the services. the two young women — aged 15 and 20 — were killed on friday after their car was attacked in the north of thejordan valley. theirfather, rabbi leo dee, expressed his gratitude for all the support he had received. thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your warmth, your kindness and your love. never have we seen such an outpouring of love, and thank you to everyone who has helped in every possible way. i've not had to do anything, everything has been done for us. you are a miracle.

naturally, we are shocked and devastated about how in a few moments you can have an act of absolute — moments you can have an act of absolute evil and madness, insanity” _ absolute evil and madness, insanity,, things can change around, the loss_ insanity,, things can change around, the toss of— insanity,, things can change around, the loss of two gorgeous daughters and his_ the loss of two gorgeous daughters and his wife now lie in critically ill in_ and his wife now lie in critically ill in the — and his wife now lie in critically ill in the hospital injerusalem. but through the sadness there is still the — but through the sadness there is still the determination he has, he is a reat— still the determination he has, he is a real idealist, to try and find what _ is a real idealist, to try and find what can— is a real idealist, to try and find what can be found. above all else, he communicated the message about how much— he communicated the message about how much you feel supported and embraced — how much you feel supported and embraced by a blanket of warmth and love and _ embraced by a blanket of warmth and love and within israel, its been outside — love and within israel, its been outside of— love and within israel, its been outside of israel and those in the well connected with him.

the bbc�*s yolande knell is following events injerusalem. some really emotional and frankly distressing scenes at the funeral. yes, it's really quite a huge funeral, at least a thousand people crammed into the main building where the prayers are taking place but they have also spilled into the area outside as well know many young people there among the crowd crying and comforting each other, these two british israeli sisters, rina maia dee, who have been laid to rest in the settlement where they lived in the settlement where they lived in the west bank, they were driving through the west bank on friday on their way to a passover holiday in galilee, kind of a family convoy of several cars, their father told us, when they were killed by a suspected

palestinian gunmen, and there is still a manhunt going on for the person responsible and their mother remains seriously wounded in an israeli hospital. at the moment she is unconscious and does not know all that has taken place. the father of the girls, who is a rabbi himself has been speaking at the funeral, quite powerfully, talking about how both his daughters had inspired us, and said in return we will love you forever, you are to claims which have not gone out. he has three other children and one of the sisters of the girls has been speaking at the funeral, family that moved over from the speaking at the funeral, family that moved overfrom the uk nine years ago. moved over from the uk nine years auo. �* moved over from the uk nine years auo.�* ., moved over from the uk nine years ao. �* ., ., ago. and in the background, of course, ago. and in the background, of course. this— ago. and in the background, of course, this increasing - ago. and in the background, of course, this increasing tension | ago. and in the background, of l course, this increasing tension in the region. course, this increasing tension in the region-— course, this increasing tension in the reuion. ., v �* ., ., the region. that's right. and on two fronts, the region. that's right. and on two fronts. really. _ the region. that's right. and on two fronts, really, if— the region. that's right. and on two fronts, really, if you _ the region. that's right. and on two fronts, really, if you look— the region. that's right. and on two fronts, really, if you look at - the region. that's right. and on two fronts, really, if you look at what i fronts, really, if you look at what has been happening injerusalem

through the day, a lot of concern we could see a new escalation in violence because overnight hundreds of palestinian muslims barricaded themselves in the al asqa mosque, knowing there would bejewish people would be guided around the mosque, this is a sensible —— a sensitive time when dues are marking the holiday of passover but in the event we did not see a repetition of what happened last week when israeli police stormed the mosque under similar circumstances to force palestinian worshippers out ahead of a visit byjewish people and instead they put a heavy police presence that allowing the visits to go ahead and allowing palestinian muslims to continue their prayers in the courtyard, so it was a tense

stand—off and then at the same time a mass prayer took place at the western wall just below with thousands ofjewish visitors there eight passover priestly blessing and close by it was packed in the sepulchre church, with many local palestinian worshippers as well as people who had come from overseas for the holiday period.— for the holiday period. thank you very much _ for the holiday period. thank you very much for— for the holiday period. thank you very much for that. _ some breaking news coming in to us now. at least four people have been killed in an avalanche at a popular skiing area in the french alps. the interior minister, gerald darmanin, said several more people were injured and that a search and rescue operation was underway on the armancette glacier. rescuers are using helicopters and dogs to search for survivors. saudi and omani negotiators have joined yemen's houthi rebels in the country's capital sana'a.

they're holding talks in the houthi—controlled city on a new and potentially permanent ceasefire. saudi arabia has backed yemeni government forces against the rebels during the devastating eight—year civil war. our middle east regional editor sebastian usher spoke to lucy grey with this update. yes, i think the most positive signs we have seen for a long time. it is a war that has been dragging on for eight years, tens of thousands of yemenis killed, 80% of the population estimated to be relying on aid. and a war that has been in a stalemate for a long time with no sense that either side is going to win an outright victory. and we have seen, i think, other members of the saudi—led coalition, uae in particular, trying to pull away from the war and the saudis who initiated this eruption of conflict after the houthis forced the yemeni government out of sana'a back in 2015, i think expecting that it would be a relatively swift and conclusive victory, got bogged down.

we have seen shifts regionally which i think have opened up a way now for this serious drive towards what has been talked up, these are unnamed sources but these have been talked up as a possibility of a permanent ceasefire, notjust a temporary one like we had last year. but a permanent one, which could seal the war. we could essentially say that the war is over and that could be signed within the next few days, before the end of the month. do we have any idea what the terms of the deal might be? obviously that is a major issue and there have been efforts before, the un is still leading a parallel peace process and it has come with possibilities, options before the saudis as well. there have been no terms publicly put out but there have been leaks, both in the saudi press

and from the houthis. some of it are basic practical steps like the payment of people who work for the public sector, their salaries which haven't been paid because of the way the country is fractured. very importantly, the reopening of all the ports and airports in yemen which have been closed virtually for the whole of the war by the saudi—led coalition to put pressure on the houthis and also to stop weapons and other things like that getting into the country. and then beyond that, even more ambitious, a political transition. whether they actually get into that at this stage, that might be something which is so difficult to arrange that they might leave that for later. but also, a timeline for the exit of all the foreign fighters who are in the country. again, that could be quite a difficult obstacle to get past. pope francis has been leading a mass at st peter's basilica in the vatican on easter sunday. the 86—year—old expressed his "deep concern" about the escalating tensions between israelis

and palestinians, and called on the international community to end the war in ukraine. from vatican city, our religion editor, aleem maqbool, reports. from the early hours they streamed into st peter's square for easter mass. people had come from all over the world butjust days ago there had been doubts about whether the pope would be well enough to take part in events at all. some here told of their relief when he appeared but there was still nervousness as to how strong he really was after his bout of bronchitis. once the service got under way, pope francis seemed untroubled. but it was once the mass was over that he appeared most relaxed. though, for the first time he had missed one event on good friday he now successfully negotiated the rest of the toughest week in his calendar.

there had been moments in the week during services where the pope had seemed a little breathless, a little weak even, but every time he has been in the crowd and interacted with people he has really appeared to be much more energised. he looked in really good health. the crowd were encouraging him. but he looked very healthy and happy and doing his job very well and it was great to see him in high spirits. translation: i was very worried when he was in hospital. - i kept informed because he is so special. he wanted to fulfil all of his commitments for this holy week and to see him here you realise how strong he is — pope francis ended events with an appearance on the balcony of st peter's basilica to deliver his urbi et orbi, a blessing to the city and the world. here in the uk, the archbishop of canterbury used his easter sermon

king charles has attended his first easter sunday service as monarch alongside the queen consort and other senior members of the royal family at windsor castle. the event is a staple of the royal calendar — and took place in the 15th century st george's chapel, which is also the late queen's final resting place. health secretary steve barclay has accused the doctors' union the bma of taking a "militant stance" and pressing ahead with strikes that he says "carry a considerable risk to patient safety". mr barclay accuses the union of timing the four—day strikes to cause "maximum disruption". the national medical director of nhs england has also warned that the industrial action will cause "unparalleled levels of disruption" to the health service — as simon jones reports. chanting: one, two, three four! we can't take it any more! - junior doctors in england are set to walk out again on tuesday. that's straight after the easter holiday bank weekend, when many staff are on leave, and those four days of action will lead into next weekend, meaning the nhs is facing ten days of reduced services. in a statement, the national medical

director of nhs england, professor sir stephen powis, said: the nhs confederation, which represents hospital managers, is warning that up to a quarter of a million appointments and operations may have to be postponed if the strike action goes ahead, and professor sir stephen is warning the ongoing impact of industrial action is making it more difficult to keep key services going, and ultimately reschedule those cancelled appointments. the nhs says it will continue to prioritise emergency and neonatal care, as well as maternity and trauma services. but nhs providers, which speaks for hospital trusts, is warning that even in those areas, there are real concerns of an increased risk to safety.

this strike is long in duration and falls at a critical time during the holiday season, where securing alternative cover is proving challenging for trusts. so they are deeply concerned. it's not too late for unions and government to come to the table to open negotiations and to avert this action next week. the british medical association, which represents junior doctors, is calling for a 35% pay rise to compensate for what it describes as more than a decade of salary erosion. but the department of health says it will only agree to talks to try to settle the dispute if the bma calls off the strike and significantly reduces its pay demand. the two sides appear as far apart as ever. simon jones, bbc news. today marks 20 years since the fall of the regime of the late iraqi president saddam hussein. in 2003, then us president george w bush launched operation "iraqi freedom" with a ground invasion by thousands of us and british troops, under the pretext of destroying

iraq's alleged arsenal of weapons of mass destruction. we spoke to balsam mustafa a reseach fellow at warwick university about life in baghdad during saddam hussein's rule. living under the dictatorship was very hard, and before the invasion also there was a wave of wars and conflicts, and also the economic sanctions. we were living through hardships and it felt like we were living in a big prison, and we were longing, or many of us were longing, to see saddam hussein's rule and the ba'athist regime come to an end one day, but we would never think at that moment that what would follow would be much worse, because saddam hussein's dictatorship and tyranny for us

was the maximum level of brutality. just talk me through how you felt in 2003, then. we are watching images as we talk to you of that famous statue of saddam hussein in baghdad being toppled and peoplejumping around on top of it and it being dragged through the street. how did you feel then at that moment, when that was all going on? it was... i had mixed emotions. on one hand, i wanted saddam hussein to be gone, and so seeing that statue, his statue, being toppled after one year of being set up in the square in baghdad was something that was really hard to comprehend. i was happy to see him gone, but at the same time this was led by us troops and allies. it was not at the hand of iraqis but at the hand of invaders.

sport and for a full round—up, from the bbc sport centre, here's gavin. hello from the bbc sport centre. a big match in the football coming up — but first to the masters . and we're set for a bumper sunday at augusta with the third round stito finish, and one more to go after weather caused much delay and postponement. brooks koepka is the man to catch. a short while ago — was was i2—under through 16 butjon rahm is close behind —but three back now. viktor hovland gaining ground too. but would take a lot to make up the ground to rahm and koepka. tiger woods has pulled out of the tournament with injury. woods appeared to be struggling on saturday before bad weather halted play — and said on social media he'd withdrawn due to pain in his heel. the five time champion was six over after seven holes of his third roun and had earlier battled to go beyond the halfway stage — equalling the record set by gary player and fred couples of 23 consecutive cuts made. next to the premier league

where its been a miserable day for strugglers leeds united against relegation rivals crystal palace. leeds, who started the dayjust a couple of points above the drop zone scored first through patrick bamford, but after that it was all crystal palace. marc guehi started the comeback with an equaliserjust before half time, and in the second half two goals from jordan ayew and one each from eberechi eze and odsonne edouard completed the win. 5—1 it finshed at elland road. palace are up to 12th. not long to wait till kick off between arsenal and liverpool. the home side down in 8th, after an indifferent season on their part. arsenal haven't won at anfield in more than 10 years. but will approach the game, with confidence high — being top by five points, and having won their last seven domestically. we do enjoy it, we have to enjoy it, and we need to embrace the moment. and go for it, and the team is full of enthusiasm and positivity, and we know we have a big challenge but it's a big opportunity to go to anfield and do something we've not

done for many years, and that's what is driving the team in the last few days. the combination of our people and the ground and the boys is a pretty good combination, so that's what we have to throw in as well, but not relying on it. we have to push the train in this moment. i have a very good feeling we can do it. kolkata knight riders have beaten the gujurat titans in the indian premier league, going down to the final ball to win by three wickets. needing need four to win it, kolkata's rinku singh got the boundary required for the victory on their way to 207 runs from their 20 overs. titans were going for their third win out of three. in the nba, the la clippers will clinch a playoff spot with a win in their final game after victory over the portland trailblazers, while the minnesota timberwolves beat the san antonio spurs

in a high—scoring game. there was also a win for the utahjazz over the denver nuggets, led by a career—high 28 points for ohchai agbaji. the nuggets, for whom star centre nikola jokic had 10 rebounds and 10 assists, will clinch top spot in the west if they beat the sacramento kings in theirfinal game, or if the memphis grizzlies fail to beat oklahoma city. the jazz, who are out of playoff contention, signed off at home with a win and complete their season at lebronjames�* la lakers. and that's all the sport for now. for centuries, potters in the english county staffordshire have been making ceramics for royal events — and with just a month to go until the king's coronation, they are getting ready to mark the event in style. our reporter liz cooper has more. the company was started by my father. we have been in business for 75 years nearly. we mainly produce china beakers, china plates, commemorative ware for celebrations. it's a special occasion and it's an honour and a privilege to do

something for the coronation and for the king. and it is a souvenir, something to keep forever, really. i'm john french, i've been a ceramic craftsman for nearly 40 years. - i decided to make for the coronation a piece that incorporates _ all the skills i've used over the last 40 years. - the picture here that i've actually painted on, - this is actually the welsh guard - uniform, i thought it would be quite good to get the transition from him being the prince of wales to now. becoming the monarch. it's a part of history. i think that's the thing - about ceramics, it marks those special occasions in history, so it's a great chance for us| to produce these beautiful pieces. we are in middleport pottery. we are the last transfer printers in the world. and in 2010, one of his majesty the king's charities stepped in to preserve, regenerate this building,

using millions of pounds of funds that were gathered, so the king really did save this pottery back then and it's so important to us, and that's why we are so grateful. for the coronation we are producing a book which is going to be a gift to give to the king himself. that book is a transferrers decorator's book, a bit like a pattern book that our decorators would have in the factory over there. each one tells a story of our unique historic patterns, where to cut them and where to place them, and it acts as a bit of a guide for them. we have been making coronation designs since 1902, with the very first piece dating back to king edward vii, king charles�*s great—great—grandfather. the pieces go through to 1937 to the coronation that never was for king edward viii. and then in more contemporary times, under the design stewardship of walter moorcroft, to 1953 with the coronation of queen elizabeth ii.

we use a technique called tube lining. everything's made by hand. each piece takes at least a week to make from start to finish. it's an honour, every piece of moorcroft that i work with and the people we work with, it's an honour, but for the king, i mean, that is an amazing achievement and something i will remember for the rest of my life. that was a report by liz cooper. here in the uk, the archbishop of canterbury used his easter sermon to address the conflict in ukraine, and the tensions between israel and palestine. we do not lose heart but we pray and we work for ukraine and russia. for israel and palestine with the recent tragedies, especially. and for the other so often forgotten struggles of our world, knowing that because of the resurrection, peace, true peace, is no aimless daydream but a reality offered because christ was raised from the dead.

taking you back to the lead story and just to say this is a distressing one. these are live pictures of the funeral of the two british israeli sisters who were killed in a shooting in the occupied west bank. and on friday afternoon they were in the car, heading to a family holiday and their father the rabbi, leo dee, he has been speaking, and their mother remains in a critical condition in hospital, and we can see the family and friends of the two sisters there.

rina maia dee. this is bbc news. hello there. good afternoon. weather fronts looming out towards the west, we will be seeing plenty of those into the start of next week. but for today, easter sunday, it is a very decent day of weather for the vast majority of us, from the highlands, all the way down to hampshire. sunny spells, rather hazy at times. there are some areas of cloud too. but enjoy the warmth and the sunshine while it lasts. it is going to feel very different next week, unsettled, wet and really very windy at times. there will also be a drop in temperature too, below the seasonal average. but it's warm out there for most of us at the moment. here is our weather front across northern ireland, giving outbreaks of rain, also for western scotland and western wales. by the end of the day in the far south—west of england, some cloud out towards the north sea—facing coasts where it is cooler. but for most of us, there are more sunny spells. highs of 16 or 17 celsius.

if we get to 18 degrees, it will be the warmest day of the year so far. but along with the sunshine come some very high tree pollen levels. bearing in mind, if you are a hay fever sufferer. as we head through this evening and overnight, our weather front continues to track its way eastward, giving outbreaks of rain, plenty of cloud, and of course, it is a milderfeeling night underneath all of that cloud and the rain. our weather fronts continue to clear eastward throughout the day tomorrow, some very typical bank holiday monday weather. showers following on behind and blustery towards english channel coasts as well. our rain will eventually clear central and eastern england, it will be heavy for a time, round about lunchtime. after that goes, it is quite windy towards those english channel coasts, we will see bands of showers track through as well. so there could be shower after shower for some areas. other areas could stay completely dry. there will be some sunshine between the showers. expect perhaps a rumble or two of thunder and even some hail at times. the showers will frequent

across western areas of scotland. temperatures here just 10 to 12 degrees celsius. on tuesday, a calm first half of the day and then this band of rain sweeps through, very windy towards the south and the west, windier still on wednesday with possibly some wintry showers over the higher ground of the north. then things calm down again for earlier in the day on thursday before this deep area of low pressure pushes its way in from the west. here is the outlook for our capital cities as we head through next week. it is going to be very unsettled, wet, very windy at times and also colder.

this is bbc news. the headlines: jewish worshippers have converged on the western wall for the passover blessing injerusalem. there's a heavy security presence as officials fear violence could breakout. meanwhile, the funerals are taking place for two british—israeli sisters killed in a shooting in the occupied west bank on friday. they were named as 20 year old maia and 15 year old rina dee. international delegations have arrived in yemen ahead of talks on a new and potentially permanent ceasefire. saudi arabia has backed yemeni government forces against the rebels during an eight— year civil war. tens of thousands of catholic worshippers have gathered in saint peter's square in rome — as pope francis presided over easter sunday mass.

the pontiff called for an end to conflicts in ukraine and syria,